… Guyanese picks up second career defeat via unanimous decision

By Rawle Toney in New York
IT WAS supposed to be Simeon ‘Candyman’ Hardy’s triumphant return to the ring after two years, but the script was written differently for him, as he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Eric Moon on Saturday, when the two collided at the Buckhead Fight Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
The defeat was Hardy’s second in his career which now sees his ring-record dip to 13 -2.
Moon, 26, improved to 5-0, but it was the first time that he didn’t win via TKO.
At the opening bell of their middleweight clash in front of a full house, it was obvious that both fighters were cautious in their approach; feeling each other out.

It was also obvious that Hardy was rusty, and why not? Hardy’s last outing in the ring was against Vito Gasparyan when he suffered a unanimous decision loss over two years ago.
“Tough night” Hardy told Chronicle Sport, adding “…. inactivity is a b***h! I felt strong but I wasn’t explosive like I should be.”
The 30-year-old Hardy, while showing flashes of the type of flamboyant fighter he is, played into Moon’s game.

Moon wasn’t exceptional either; the American was oftentimes easily hurt by the ‘Candy Man’, but the Guyanese couldn’t put him away.
“To be honest I didn’t feel like myself and I was not explosive with combos,” Hardy said after the fight.
One thing was clear; the American Moon was a bit more physical than Hardy. Moon was more defensive than Hardy, and connected more.
Hardy was not out-boxed by a long shot, stating, “I know I’m much better and couldn’t execute like I should.”

Hardy said he plans to return to the gym, work on his mistakes and should be in the ring in August.
The Guyanese fighter also promises to be more consistent in terms of ring time. He admitted that the primary reason for his demise on Saturday was ‘ring rust’.